Darren has been made an OBE by Her Majesty The Queen in the New Years Honours List.
What a fitting close to 2011 for our Open Champion who won his first major in such fine style at Royal St George's in July. Not only has Darren notched up fourteen European Tour wins, he has also captured two World Golf Championship titles and been a stalwart of the European Ryder Cup team, latterly as a Vice-Captain in the 2011 victorious team at Celtic Manor.
Darren has also worked tirelessly for charity - through the Darren Clarke Foundation he raises money for the development of junior golf in Ireland and also for Breast Cancer charities. In 1998 he also organised a pro-am at Portmarnock to provide aid to the victims of the Omagh bomb tragedy.
In addition, on the development side Darren is very much involved in the Darren Clarke Golf School at Greenmount Campus in County Antrim where the excellent practice facilities are utilised for both juniors and adults.
Darren, who will be collecting his honour at Buckingham Palace later in the year, said: "I have had a fantastic year and this just caps it off. It is a privilege to be recognised with an OBE. It is a lot to take in".
He added: "Winning the Open Championshp was a life changing moment really and in many ways my feet have not touched the floor since. And now this. It reflects everything I have achieved in the game which makes me feel very proud."
The Order of the British Empire recognises distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable and welfare organisations of all kinds and was created during the First World War in 1917 by George V.
The King recognised the need for a new award of honour which could be more widely awarded, in recognition of the large numbers of people in the British Isles and other parts of the Empire who were helping the war effort both as combatants and as civilians on the home front.
For the first time, women were included in an order of chivalry, and it was decided that the Order should also include foreigners who had helped the British war effort.
From 1918 onwards there were Military and Civil Divisions, as George V also intended that after the war the Order should be used to reward services to the State in a much wider sense.
Today the Order of the British Empire is the order of chivalry of British democracy. Valuable service is the only criterion for the award, and the Order is now used to reward service in a wide range of useful activities.
Citizens from other countries may also receive an honorary award, for services rendered to the United Kingdom and its people. There are more than 100,000 living members of the Order throughout the world.
The motto of the Order is 'For God and the Empire'.
